WINNERS:
Big Ten Conference: Prior to Thursday, many were questioning if Michigan State should've been taken over any of the snubs out of the Big East or even a mid-major like Indiana State. Well, the Spartans erased many of those doubts with a convincing win over Mississippi State. Illinois had a rough going for just over a half in their game against Morehead State, but Dain Dainja and Terrance Shannon Jr. dominated on the offensive end of the court for the Fighting Illini en route to a 85-69 win.
Marcus Domask: With a 3-pointer from the right wing with 2:57 remaining in the game, Illinois' Domask became just the NINTH play in NCAA Tournament history to register a triple-double. He finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists during Illinois 85-69 win over Morehead State.
Jermaine Couisnard: One of the more impressive performances of the day. Shot 14 of 22 from the field and dropped 40 points on South Carolina in Oregon's 87-73 win.
Atlantic 10 Conference: Despite just two teams in the tournament, both Duquesne and Dayon made the best of their appearances and did so in dramatic fashion. The Dukes held on to upset BYU for the first upset of the day. Then the Flyers rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Nevada.
LOSERS:
Southeastern Conference: It was definitely a bad first day for the SEC. While Mississippi State and South Carolina got handled by their opponents, it was Kentucky's loss to Oakland that really put an exclamation point on a disappointing day for the conference.
Keith Dambrot's Retirement: Just one day after winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament, Dambrot announced he would be retiring at the end of Duquesne's tournament run to spend time taking care of his wife, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Well, his players decided they don't want him to walk away just yet, delivering the program it's first tournament win since 1969.
John Calipari: It's getting to the point where Big Blue Nation is going to yearn for the days of Tubby Smith.
Major Upsets: Outside of Duquesne and Oakland, it was mostly a good day to be a higher seed. Sure Oregon's win was a six-eleven seed upset, but we're talking about to major conference teams going at it. Maybe things will be different tomorrow.
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